Chapter 12: Research Questions and Hypotheses
A research question is a formal statement of the goal of a study, it states clearly what the study will investigate or attempt to prove
Developing a research question
- Formulate a good question
- Asking 'so what?' to any question
- Reflect on it
- The buzz test
- The reality test
- Evaluate research question
A hypothesis is a tentative statement that proposes a possible explanation to some phenomenon or event
Importance of hypotheses
Guides the research
Help investigator to collect right kind of data needed for investigation
To clarify, direct, specify and focus the research problem
Help investigator to locate information needed to resolve the research problem or sub-problems
When are hypotheses used?
When performing a test of how two variables might be related
How to create research hypotheses?
Designating the independent and dependent variables in the hypothesis
Stating the hypothesis
Deriving the hypothesis from a theoretical framework
Characteristics of a good hypothesis
described in a declarative form, brief, and straight to the point
testable statement which mean they can be supported or refuted based on data analysis results, real situations or events
created based on established theories, the results of previous research or relevant literature
use a positive statement to show the existence of a relationship, difference or treatment effect
demonstrated using sufficient theoretical and empirical evidence
expressed in terms that can be measured
Types and forms of research hypotheses
Positive relationship between two variables - variables move in the same direction
Curvilinear or nonlinear relationship - relationship goes in one direction, then in the other
Negative relationship between two variables - values for the variables move in the opposite directions.
No relationship - two variables are not related to one another
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